State-of-the-art computational methods combined with common idealized structural models provide an incomplete understanding of experimental observations on real nanostructures, since manufacturing introduces unavoidable deviations from the design. We propose to close this knowledge gap by using the real structure of a manufactured nanostructure as input in computations to obtain a realistic comparison with measurements on the same nanostructure. We demonstrate this approach on the structure of a real inverse woodpile photonic bandgap crystal made from silicon, as previously obtained by synchrotron X-ray imaging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To determine the prevalence of food insecurity among individuals with coeliac disease (CeD) and non-coeliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) in the Netherlands and explore its association with diet quality and other barriers to adherence to a gluten-free diet.
Design: Mixed-method design comprising a survey and semistructured interviews.
Setting: An online survey was distributed through social media accounts and the newsletter of the Dutch Association for Celiac Disease.
Background: Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is a chronic, progressive kidney disease in which proteinuria, reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), pain and fatigue are common. How symptoms interact and impact patient quality of life (QoL) in real-world practice is poorly studied. This study investigated how patient and physician symptom perceptions differ and how proteinuria and eGFR correlate with pain, fatigue, and QoL in adult IgAN patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWith the increasing prevalence of pregnant women adhering to a vegan diet, gaining insight into their nutritional intake and its association with maternal and fetal outcomes is essential to providing recommendations and developing guidelines for general practice. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic review of the available scientific literature in Medline, Embase, and Cochrane was conducted in January 2024. : The titles and abstracts of 2211 unique articles were screened.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the vicinity of plasmonic nanostructures that support highly confined light fields, spontaneous emission processes, such as two-photon spontaneous emission (TPSE), exhibit higher-order multipolar emission pathways beyond the dipolar one. These multipolar emission channels occur simultaneously and can interfere with each other. We develop a novel framework that computes these interference effects for TPSE of a quantum emitter close to an arbitrary nanostructure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnderstanding diffusion mechanisms in solid electrolytes is crucial for advancing solid-state battery technologies. This study investigates the role of structural disorder in Li PS Br argyrodites using molecular dynamics, focusing on the correlation between key structural descriptors and Li-ion conductivity. Commonly suggested parameters, such as configurational entropy, bromide site occupancy, and bromine content, correlate with Li-ion diffusivity but do not consistently explain conductivity trends.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConjugated organic polymers have substantial potential for multiple applications but their properties are strongly influenced by structural defects such as homocoupling of monomer units and unexpected end-groups. Detecting and/or quantifying these defects requires complex experimental techniques, which hinder the optimization of synthesis protocols and fundamental studies on the influence of structural defects. Mass spectrometry offers a simple way to detect these defects but a manual analysis of many complex spectra is tedious and provides only approximate results.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReducing voltage losses while maintaining high photocurrents is the holy grail of current research on non-fullerene acceptor (NFA) based organic solar cell. Recent focus lies in understanding the various fundamental mechanisms in organic blends with minimal energy offsets - particularly the relationship between ionization energy offset (ΔIE) and free charge generation. Here, we quantitatively probe this relationship in multiple NFA-based blends by mixing Y-series NFAs with PM6 of different molecular weights, covering a broad power conversion efficiency (PCE) range: from 15% down to 1%.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrganic photovoltaics (OPV) present a promising thin-film solar cell technology with particular benefits in terms of weight, aesthetics, transparency, and cost. However, despite being studied intensively since the mid 90's, OPV has not entered the mass consumer market yet. Although the efficiency gap with other thin-film photovoltaics has largely been overcome, active layer stability and performance reproducibility issues have not been fully resolved.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInternal herniation (IH) is a common problem after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB). Routine closure of the mesenteric defects (MDs) reduces the risk of IH. Only very few articles report on risk factors for IH or describe detailed closing techniques.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Guanine nucleotide-binding protein alpha-activating activity polypeptide O (GNAO1) syndrome, a rare congenital monogenetic disorder, is characterized by a neurodevelopmental syndrome and the presence of dystonia. Dystonia can be very pronounced and even lead to a life-threatening status dystonicus. In a small number of pharmaco-refractory cases, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been attempted to reduce dystonia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Musician's dystonia is a task-specific focal hand dystonia characterized by involuntary contraction of muscles while playing a musical instrument. Current treatment options are often insufficient.
Observations: We present the effects of ventro-oral thalamic deep brain stimulation in a patient with musician's dystonia.
Polymeric porous adsorbents are reported for removal of explosives, namely picric acid, 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazinane (RDX), and pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) and their subsequent quantification using direct analysis with ambient plasma mass spectrometry. The adsorbents are obtained by functionalization of short-chain poly(2-oxazoline)s with methyl ester side chains using 4-(aminomethyl)pyridine with a degree of functionalization equal to 0, 5, 10, and 20%. The subsequent step consist of cross-linking using a high internal phase emulsion procedure by further side-chain amidation with diethylenetriamine as crosslinker.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRapid phase elucidation of polycrystalline materials is essential for developing new materials of chemical, pharmaceutical and industrial interest. Yet, the size and quantity of many crystalline phases are too small for routine X-ray diffraction analysis. This has become a workflow bottleneck in materials development, especially in high-throughput synthesis screening.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Current surgical closure techniques for sphincter-sparing treatment of high cryptoglandular fistulas in the Netherlands include the mucosal advancement flap procedure (MAF) and ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT). A relatively novel treatment is the fistula tract laser closure (FiLaC™) method. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in healing and recurrence rates between FiLaC™ and current standard practices.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmyloidosis is a very rare condition, which, due to its rarity, is often missed or diagnosed in an advanced stage of the disease, causing significant morbidity and mortality. In this review we describe the existing types of amyloidosis focusing on the gastro-intestinal tract. Amyloidosis occurs when abnormal protein fibrils (amyloid) deposit in the muscularis mucosae.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStomatopoda is a crustacean order including sophisticated predators called spearing and smashing mantis shrimps that are separated from the well-studied Eumalacotraca since the Devonian. The spearing mantis shrimp has developed a spiky dactyl capable of impaling fishes or crustaceans in a fraction of second. In this high velocity hunting technique, the spikes undergo an intense mechanical constraint to which their exoskeleton (or cuticle) has to be adapted.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To evaluate the effect of canakinumab on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), work/school and social life of patients with autoinflammatory recurrent fever syndromes, including colchicine-resistant familial Mediterranean fever, mevalonate kinase deficiency, and tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome, in the CLUSTER trial.
Methods: HRQoL of patients who received canakinumab 150 mg or 300 mg every four weeks in the CLUSTER trial (n=173) was assessed at baseline and Weeks 17 and 41. For children we used the Child Health Questionnaire - Parent Form 50 (CHQ-PF50), including psychosocial (PsS) and physical (PhS) component summary scores.
Purpose: To examine the nature and severity of impaired self-awareness (ISA) and denial of disability (DD) in a community-dwelling traumatic brain injury (TBI) population. Additionally, to investigate reliability, internal consistency, and feasibility of the Clinician's Rating Scale for evaluating Impaired Self-Awareness and Denial of Disability after brain injury (CRS-ISA-DD).
Materials And Methods: ISA and DD were studied using the CRS-ISA-DD in a cross-sectional study with 78 TBI patients (3.
Background: Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) and adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) are manifestations of an autoinflammatory disorder with complex pathophysiology and significant morbidity, together also termed Still's disease. The objective of the current study is to set in silico models based on systems biology and investigate the optimal treat-to-target strategy for Still's disease as a proof-of-concept of the modeling approach.
Methods: Molecular characteristics of Still's disease and data on biological inhibitors of interleukin (IL)-1 (anakinra, canakinumab), IL-6 (tocilizumab, sarilumab), and glucocorticoids as well as conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs, methotrexate) were used to construct in silico mechanisms of action (MoA) models by means of Therapeutic Performance Mapping System (TPMS) technology.
Autoantibodies against islet cell antigens are routinely used to identify subjects at increased risk of symptomatic type 1 diabetes, but their relation to the intra-islet pathogenetic process that leads to positivity for these markers is poorly understood. We screened 556 non-diabetic organ donors (3 months to 24 years) for five different autoantibodies and found positivity in 27 subjects, 25 single- and two double autoantibody-positive donors. Histopathological screening of pancreatic tissue samples showed lesion characteristic for recent-onset type 1 diabetes in the two organ donors with a high-risk profile, due to their positivity for multiple autoantibodies and HLA-inferred risk.
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